Teaching Kids to Cook

Café Horizons has had a positive impact on the lives of at risk youth and long term unemployed people in the local area by giving them practical skills and training.

Jason McMillen is the founder and a chef at Café Horizons. A drive to bring about positive community changes motivated him to teach prison inmates how to cook, which eventually led to him liasing with the Salvation Army to set up Café Horizons, which has two locations: Cabramatta (which has one of the highest youth unemployment rates in Australia) and St. Mary's.

The cafes employ many at-risk youth and the long-term unemployed, giving them on the job training and helping them attain a Certificate II in Hospitality.

Jason spends his time trying to indentify each student’s individual strengths, and help them think about what they want to do. He tries to teach them the consequences of their actions, as well as show them that gaining a certificate in hospitality will help them prove to future employers that they can learn and commit.